In-line filter device



June 27, 1967 D. w. EDDY ETAL IN-LINE FILTER DEVICE Filed June 10, 1964 INVENTORS 220020 512 fa'a' 6 BY flrZ/zar riifa f 7 ORA EV United States Patent 3,327,858 IN-LINE FILTER DEVICE David W. Eddy and Arthur R. Lake, Flint, Mich, assignors to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Delaware Filed June 10, 1964, Ser. No. 374,067 1 (Ilaim. (Cl. 210234) This invention pertains to filters and more particularly to filter devices for clarifying liquids such as gasoline and which are especially adapted for insertion in dispensing pump hoses as employed in gasoline stations.

In the use of fuel dispensing hose lines it is obviously advantageous to subject a fuel, such as gasoline, to a final clarification before placing it in an automobile fuel tank. Any foreign particles which possibly may enter the fuel during its handling before use are removed as a final step and assurance is given that the final fuel product is provided the user in the originally intended clean state. A filter device for the purpose of carrying out such a final step must be compact, light in weight, simple in structure and capable of being quickly disassembled for filter element renewal or cleaning without undue loss of fuel from the supply line or hose with which the device is associated.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved filter device conveniently inserted in or removed from a supply line or hose without loss of fluid from the supply line.

A feature of the invention is an in-line filter device including a filter element maintaining, by its presence, an inlet valve of the device open and including spring means for closing the inlet to the device when the filter element is removed for cleaning or replacement,

This and other important features of the invention will now be described in detail in the specification and then pointed out more particularly in the appended claim.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a sectional view of a cylindrical filter device illustrated as one embodiment of the present invention and with the parts positioned for use;

FIGURE 2 is a view of the inlet end of the device, in section, and showing an inlet valve closed and depicting an inlet hose and fitting.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view looking in the direction of the arrows 33 in FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 4 is an exploded view of inlet end parts, a portion of the filter device casing and inlet valve parts employed in the inlet arrangement of FIGURE 2.

In the drawing, an elongated filter casing is illustrated and which defines a large inlet opening 12 and a small outlet opening 14. The latter is internally threaded to receive a fitting by means of which a portion of a dispenser hose may be attached. The other end of the casing 10 is exteriorly threaded as at 16 to receive a knurled sleeve 18. The latter bears an inwardly directed annular flange 20 for engaging a shoulder 22 of a coupling member 24. The latter has a threaded inlet port 28 which is adapted to receive a fitting 30 connected by means of a clamp 32 to a hose 34. Approximately one-half of the length of the coupling 24 is recessed as at 36 to accommodate a valve 38 in such a way that the latter is free to move in its axial direction and between open and closed positions. A sleeve portion 40 of the coupling 24 surrounding the valve recess 36 is of suificient length and wall thickness to be telescopically received within the large end 12 of the filter casing 10 and also to bear an annular groove 42 for retaining an O-ring 44. The casing 10 is exteriorly threaded at 16 so that the knurled member 18 may be connected to the casing to form the assembly as shown in FIGURE 1.

3,327,358 Patented June 27, 1967 The outlet port 14 of the casing 10 is surrounded by an internal lip or annular ridge 50 which serves as a pilot for axially supporting a filter element indicated at 52. A sealing washer 54 is retained in the casing and around the lip 50 to form a seal between one end of the filter element 52 and the casing. The filter element 52 may take various forms but in the drawing it is disclosed as a longitudinally pleated and elongated paper element having end plates 58 and 60. Each of these end plates is flanged to retain it in place on the filter element and to maintain the integrity of the filter element structure as is well known in the filter art. The end plate 58 is not perforated but the element 60 bears a central opening 62 in registry with the outlet port 14.

The valve 38 is in the form of a notched plate as best seen in FIGURE 4 and it is retained on a short valve shaft 70 spacing it from a valve disk indicated at 72. The cylindrical wall of the recess 36 bears a groove 74 in which is retained a valve seat member or ring 76 and a coil spring 78 is interposed between the valve seat member 76 and the valve disk 72 urging the valve 38 and the valve disk 72 to the right as viewed in FIGURES l and 2. The valve 38 has a solid portion of sufficient area to seat upon the valve seat member 76 and close oif a port 80 defined by the latter. The valve disk 72 is of adequate size to seat against one end of the filter element 52 and it is centrally dished as at 84 to cooperate with the filter element in centering that end of the latter thereby to define an annular space 86 between the inner wall of the casing 10 and the filter element 52.

It will be noted that the proportions of the casing 10 and filter element 52 are such that when the filter element 52 is placed in the casing and the latter is attached by the knurled member 18 to the coupling 24 that the filter element will press against the disk 72 and compress the spring 78 urging the valve element 38 to its open position as shown in FIGURE 1. Under these circumstances fuel may flow through the coupling 24, around the valve 38, and through the port 80 to the space 86 surrounding the filter element 52. The fuel may then pass through the pleated paper of the filter element to the central zone of the latter and then flow through the opening 62 to the dispensing hose.

When the filter element 52 becomes clogged with dirt or unsuitable to do its proper cleaning of the fuel the casing 10 may be quickly disconnected from the coupling 24 it being assumed that the dispensing pump is not at this time placing the fuel under pressure. Before the casing 10 is removed from the coupling 24 destroying the seal between the two, the valve 38 will be seated closing off all flow from the hose 34 and the coupling 24. The inlet ports will then be positioned as shown in FIGURE 2. The operator may then easily replace the filter element and reconnect the casing 10 to the coupling 24 with the valve 38 opening only after the telescopic arrangement of the coupling 24 and the casing 10 is sufliciently established to preclude leakage or loss of fuel.

It will be noted that the arrangement is extremely simple and 'because of the ease of replacement of the filter element, an operator will be inclined to change the filter element when such change is desirable.

We claim:

An elongated single valve filter device comprising a discharge coupling member at one end of the device having an inlet port and an outlet port, a valve means located between said inlet port and said outlet port, spring means urging said valve means toward a position closing said outlet port, said spring means including a valve disc with attached stem and spring, said stern connecting said valve means to said valve disc, said spring being mounted about said stem and positioned on the opposite side of said outlet port from said valve means, a filter easing compris- La ing a cylindrical wall integral With an end wall defining an opening at the other end of said device, said valve and spring means being supported on said discharge coupling member independent of said filter casing, detachable means connecting thecasing to said discharge coupling member in coaxial relation, a filter element in said casing having filtering material traversing a flow path between the ends of the device, said filter element biasing the valve disc toward the outlet port and displacing said valve means to an open position and having one end plate held clear of the cylindrical wall of said casing and an opposite end plate held in abutting and sealed relation to the end Wall of said casing at the other end of the deing around said one end plate and through said opposite 4 end plate, and one end of said casing enclosing said one end plate and being in telescopic and sealed relation with said discharge coupling member and adjacent to said detachable connecting means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 664,280 12/ 1900 Leland 210-448 X 2,793,752 5/1957 Jay 210-234 X FOREIGN PATENTS 629,957 4/ 1963 Belgium.

REUBEN FRIEDMAN, Primary Examiner.

C. DITLOVV, Assistant Examiner. 

